Total Federal Spending
$485.6B
FY2025 obligations
California Federal Spending
$485.6B in FY2025 federal spending, $12,283 per capita.
$485.6B total · $12,283 per capita · FY2025 · Ranked #1 total, #41 per capita · 21.5% below national avg
In FY2025, California received $485.6B in federal spending - $12,283 per capita, ranking #41 among 57 states and 21.5% below the national average. The most common award type is contracts, accounting for 45.3% of tracked awards. The top spending agency is Department of Health and Human Services.
California · FY2025
California received $485.6B in federal spending in FY2025 - $12,283 per resident, 21.5% below the national average, with contracts the largest award category.
- Total federal spending
- $485.6B
- #1 of 57 states
- Per resident
- $12,283
- #41 per capita
- Counties receiving funds
- 58
- place of performance
- Top agency
- Dept. of Health and Human Services
- $175.9B
According to USASpending.gov, the official federal award-transaction dataset, the federal government directed $485.6B to California in FY2025, translating to $12,283 per resident across a population of 39,538,223. That per-capita figure is 21.5% below the $15,647 national average and ranks California #41 of 57 states per capita, while total-dollar rank is #1, illustrating the difference between volume of federal dollars and intensity of federal dependence.
The award-type mix shows how federal awards break down in California by count: 305,368 contracts, 39,718 grants, 242,792 loans, and 78,305 direct payments. The most common award type is contracts at 45.3% of tracked awards in the state, with loans a distant second at 242,792 awards. Department of Health and Human Services is the single largest federal agency operating in California, with $175.9B in obligations - more than Social Security Administration's $157.5B.
Over the available history, federal spending in California has grown 4.8% from $463.4B in FY2020 to $485.6B in FY2025. Combined with 58 counties receiving dollars and top recipient Health Care Services, California Department Of at $112.5B, this snapshot lets readers judge whether California's federal footprint is expanding, stable, or being scaled back relative to FY2025.
It helps to read state totals through two different lenses. Total dollars measure the raw volume of federal money flowing into a state, which naturally favors larger and more populous states. Per-capita spending measures intensity, how much federal money lands per resident, and it surfaces smaller states whose economies lean heavily on federal installations, contracts, or transfer payments. The two rankings often disagree, which is exactly why both appear above. The award mix matters too: contracts signal procurement of goods and services, grants flow to universities, nonprofits, and local governments, and direct payments include programs such as Social Security and Medicare that scale with population. Every figure comes from USASpending.gov, the federal spending-transparency system the U.S. Treasury has operated since the DATA Act of 2014. Federal outlays exceeded $7.0 trillion in fiscal year 2025 (CBO Monthly Budget Review), and these are official government records rather than estimates, though late-posted and corrected awards can adjust a state's totals after the year closes. Our methodology details the per-capita denominator, the award categories, and the data vintage.
Source: USAspending.gov, Federal Procurement Data System (FPDS) + System for Award Management (SAM) California federal awards (contracts, grants, loans, direct payments) for FY2025 · 2025 USAspending.gov publishes award-level data within ~30 days of obligation; categories follow OMB Object Class Codes. Per-capita metrics use Census ACS population estimates as the denominator.
Key Statistics
Total Spending
$485.6B
Rank #1
Per Capita
$12,283
Rank #41
Population
39,538,223
Contract Awards
305,368
Grant Awards
39,718
Per Capita
$12,283
Rank #41
Counties Receiving
58
federal dollars
Top Agency Share
$175.9B
Department of Health and Human
California award-type mix by count (FY2025)
California per-capita federal spending vs. national average 65.4%
National average
Compared against the national average of $15,647 per resident.
Awards by Type
Contracts is the most common award type at 45.3% of tracked awards in California (by count, not dollar value).
Contracts 305,368 awards (45.3%)
Loans 242,792 awards (36.0%)
Direct Payments 78,305 awards (11.6%)
Grants 39,718 awards (5.9%)
Other 7,772 awards (1.2%)
Comparison to National Average
| Metric | California | National Avg | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per Capita Spending | $12,283 | $15,647 | -21.5% |
| Contracts Share | 0.0% | - | - |
| Grants Share | 0.0% | - | - |
Top Federal Agencies in California
Federal agencies ranked by total spending in California during FY2025.
| # | Agency | Spending | % of Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Department of Health and Human Services | $175.9B | 36.2% |
| 2 | Social Security Administration | $157.5B | 32.4% |
| 3 | Department of Defense | $39.9B | 8.2% |
| 4 | Department of Veterans Affairs | $21.9B | 4.5% |
| 5 | Department of Agriculture | $21.5B | 4.4% |
| 6 | Department of Education | $11.3B | 2.3% |
| 7 | Department of Housing and Urban Development | $10.1B | 2.1% |
| 8 | Department of Transportation | $9.4B | 1.9% |
| 9 | Department of Energy | $9.0B | 1.9% |
| 10 | Department of Homeland Security | $9.0B | 1.9% |
Top Recipients in California
Organizations and entities receiving the most federal funds in California.
| # | Recipient | Total Awards |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Health Care Services, California Department Of | $112.5B |
| 2 | Department of Social Services California | $21.1B |
| 3 | Department of Education California | $7.5B |
| 4 | Department of Transportation California | $6.3B |
| 5 | Office of Emergency Services | $6.2B |
| 6 | Lawrence Livermore National Security, LLC | $3.6B |
| 7 | Health Net Federal Services, LLC | $3.5B |
| 8 | Qtc Medical Services INC | $2.8B |
| 9 | General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, INC. | $2.3B |
| 10 | California Institute of Technology | $2.3B |
| 11 | The Boeing Company | $2.3B |
| 12 | California Public Utilities Commission | $2.1B |
| 13 | Space Exploration Technologies CORP. | $2.1B |
| 14 | California High-Speed Rail Authority | $2.0B |
| 15 | Raytheon Company | $1.8B |
| 16 | Public Health, California Department Of | $1.8B |
| 17 | Ecc Constructors LLC | $1.7B |
Spending Trends
Federal spending in California increased 4.8% from FY2020 to FY2025.
| Fiscal Year | Total Spending | Per Capita | Population |
|---|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | $485.6B | $12,283 | 39,538,223 |
| FY2024 | $444.9B | $11,252 | 39,538,223 |
| FY2023 | $424.1B | $10,728 | 39,538,223 |
| FY2022 | $425.3B | $10,757 | 39,538,223 |
| FY2021 | $510.4B | $12,908 | 39,538,223 |
| FY2020 | $463.4B | $11,721 | 39,538,223 |
Counties in California
58 counties ranked by federal spending in FY2025.
| # | County | Total Spending | Per Capita | Population |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Los Angeles County | $80.1B | $7,997 | 10,014,009 |
| 2 | Alameda County | $42.5B | $25,252 | 1,682,353 |
| 3 | San Diego County | $35.4B | $10,723 | 3,298,634 |
| 4 | Sacramento County | $23.4B | $14,781 | 1,585,055 |
| 5 | Orange County | $23.4B | $7,341 | 3,186,989 |
| 6 | Riverside County | $14.8B | $6,140 | 2,418,185 |
| 7 | Santa Clara County | $13.6B | $7,000 | 1,936,259 |
| 8 | San Bernardino County | $12.6B | $5,778 | 2,181,654 |
| 9 | San Francisco County | $8.5B | $9,698 | 873,965 |
| 10 | Contra Costa County | $7.2B | $6,139 | 1,165,927 |
| 11 | Ventura County | $6.0B | $7,141 | 843,843 |
| 12 | Kern County | $5.9B | $6,502 | 909,235 |
| 13 | Fresno County | $5.0B | $4,949 | 1,008,654 |
| 14 | San Mateo County | $4.4B | $5,783 | 764,442 |
| 15 | San Joaquin County | $4.4B | $5,595 | 779,233 |
| 16 | Sonoma County | $3.5B | $7,082 | 488,863 |
| 17 | Santa Barbara County | $3.4B | $7,625 | 448,229 |
| 18 | Solano County | $3.4B | $7,432 | 453,491 |
| 19 | Monterey County | $3.1B | $7,081 | 439,035 |
| 20 | Stanislaus County | $2.9B | $5,257 | 552,878 |
| 21 | Placer County | $2.8B | $6,929 | 404,739 |
| 22 | Tulare County | $2.5B | $5,190 | 473,117 |
| 23 | Marin County | $2.4B | $9,078 | 262,321 |
| 24 | San Luis Obispo County | $2.2B | $7,858 | 282,424 |
| 25 | Santa Cruz County | $2.0B | $7,269 | 270,861 |
| 26 | Imperial County | $1.8B | $9,988 | 179,702 |
| 27 | Merced County | $1.7B | $5,878 | 281,202 |
| 28 | Shasta County | $1.5B | $8,377 | 182,155 |
| 29 | Butte County | $1.5B | $7,035 | 211,632 |
| 30 | El Dorado County | $1.5B | $7,746 | 191,185 |
| 31 | Yolo County | $1.4B | $6,412 | 216,403 |
| 32 | Humboldt County | $1.2B | $9,072 | 136,463 |
| 33 | Napa County | $925.7M | $6,707 | 138,019 |
| 34 | Madera County | $902.3M | $5,775 | 156,255 |
| 35 | Nevada County | $870.0M | $8,509 | 102,241 |
| 36 | Mendocino County | $827.5M | $9,034 | 91,601 |
| 37 | Kings County | $821.6M | $5,388 | 152,486 |
| 38 | Yuba County | $728.7M | $8,933 | 81,575 |
| 39 | Sutter County | $618.8M | $6,211 | 99,633 |
| 40 | Lake County | $508.9M | $7,466 | 68,163 |
| 41 | Tuolumne County | $468.1M | $8,416 | 55,620 |
| 42 | Tehama County | $450.9M | $6,850 | 65,829 |
| 43 | Siskiyou County | $421.4M | $9,561 | 44,076 |
| 44 | Calaveras County | $418.1M | $9,231 | 45,292 |
| 45 | Mariposa County | $412.8M | $24,096 | 17,131 |
| 46 | San Benito County | $383.6M | $5,974 | 64,209 |
| 47 | Amador County | $350.0M | $8,649 | 40,474 |
| 48 | Del Norte County | $296.6M | $10,691 | 27,743 |
| 49 | Inyo County | $272.9M | $14,349 | 19,016 |
| 50 | Lassen County | $241.3M | $7,373 | 32,730 |
| 51 | Plumas County | $219.9M | $11,113 | 19,790 |
| 52 | Trinity County | $200.1M | $12,419 | 16,112 |
| 53 | Glenn County | $190.2M | $6,579 | 28,917 |
| 54 | Colusa County | $133.7M | $6,124 | 21,839 |
| 55 | Mono County | $100.5M | $7,615 | 13,195 |
| 56 | Modoc County | $85.7M | $9,848 | 8,700 |
| 57 | Sierra County | $26.1M | $8,057 | 3,236 |
| 58 | Alpine County | $8.7M | $7,229 | 1,204 |
Explore California Federal Spending
Go deeper on California's federal footprint.
DOGE Impact for California
Reported federal contract and grant terminations, claimed savings, per-capita impact, and state ranking.
DOGE state impact →
Per-Capita Rankings
Where California ranks among all states for federal spending per resident.
Top Federal Agencies
The agencies that move the most money nationwide, by obligated amount.
Federal Spending Guides
Learn more about how federal spending works and how to interpret this data.
Understanding Federal Spending
Contracts, grants, loans, and how federal money flows to states and communities.
Why Spending Varies by State
Military bases, federal labs, population, and per capita analysis.
Where Does Federal Money Go?
Mandatory vs. discretionary, top agencies, and biggest programs.
How Federal Contracts Are Awarded
Procurement process, contract types, and small business set-asides.
States With Similar Per Capita Spending
States with per capita federal spending closest to California's $12,283.
What this means
California ranks #41 of 57 states by FY2025 per-capita federal spending.
- Per-capita spending is 21.5% below the national average -- a structural signal, not a claim about efficiency or need. Per-capita rankings
- Department of Health and Human Services is the single largest federal agency operating here, obligating 36.2% of every dollar tracked in California. Agency rankings
- 58 counties in California receive federal dollars -- the county-level pages break down exactly where. See counties
Per-capita and national-average figures use each state's most recent Census population estimate against the same FY total; they describe HOW money is distributed, not whether that distribution is justified.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much federal spending did California receive in FY2025?
California received $485.6B in total federal spending during Fiscal Year 2025. This equates to $12,283 per capita for the state's population of 39,538,223.
How does California's federal spending per capita compare to the national average?
California's per capita federal spending of $12,283 is 21.5% below the national average of $15,647. California ranks #41 out of 57 states by per capita spending.
What is the largest category of federal spending in California?
The most common award type is contracts, accounting for 305,368 awards (45.3% of tracked awards). The second-largest is loans at 242,792 awards.
Which federal agencies spend the most in California?
The top federal agency spending in California is Department of Health and Human Services with $175.9B. Followed by Social Security Administration ($157.5B) and Department of Defense ($39.9B).
How many counties in California receive federal spending?
58 counties in California receive federal spending. The county receiving the most is Los Angeles County with $80.1B.
How has federal spending in California changed over time?
Federal spending in California increased by 4.8% from FY2020 ($463.4B) to FY2025 ($485.6B).
Where does California rank nationally in federal spending?
California ranks #1 out of 57 states in total federal spending and #41 in per capita spending. The state received $485.6B total ($12,283 per person) in FY2025.
Data Sources
- USASpending.gov: Federal spending data from the U.S. Department of the Treasury
- Fiscal Year: FY2025
- Award types: Contracts, grants, loans, direct payments, and other financial assistance
- Population: U.S. Census Bureau estimates used for per capita calculations
- Budget context: Agency totals cross-referenced with OMB Program and Financial Schedules where applicable
Spending figures represent obligated amounts from federal awards. Per capita calculations use Census population estimates. This information is for research and informational purposes only.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and presented.
Every figure on PlainSpending is computed directly from USASpending.gov award-transaction data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page aggregates every county-level federal award within the state, live from the dataset. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.